export_ofoct.com

[00:02.56] Japan is a nation so hardworking that the Japanese language has a term for working oneself to death.

[00:11.59] Now, the government is trying to deal with a labor shortage.

[00:17.44] One solution is to get more people and companies to accept four-day workweeks.

[00:25.40] The Japanese government first supported a shorter working week in 2021.

[00:33.64] Few companies have signed on, however.

[00:37.89] The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said only about eight percent of companies permit three days off a week, while seven percent give their workers the required one day off.

[00:55.16] Hoping to get small and medium-sized businesses to change, the government started a "work style reform" campaign.

[01:06.04] It pushes shorter hours and other flexible plans for work along with paid time off and limits on overtime.

[01:17.73] The labor ministry recently started offering free services and resources to help companies make the change.

[01:29.41] A ministry website explains the "hatarakikata kaikaku" campaign, which means "innovating how we work."

[01:38.45] It says that when workers can choose how they work, they will have a better outlook on the future and the economy will grow.

[01:48.27] The department handling the new support services for businesses says only about three companies have asked for their advice.

[01:57.57] Such changes will not come easily in the Japanese culture, where being a “workaholic,” or frequently working overtime, has long been highly valued.

[02:09.01] That is credited for the country’s national recovery and fast economic growth after World War II.

[02:18.56] There is great pressure to be the same as the others in one’s work group.

[02:24.13] People usually take vacations at the same time of year as their co-workers.

[02:30.25] Although the law and labor agreements limit overtime, some work longer hours without pay.

[02:39.28] A recent government report dealt with "karoshi."

[02:42.46] That is the Japanese term meaning "death from overwork.”

[02:46.99] The report said Japan has at least 54 such deaths a year, including from heart attacks.

[02:55.49] Tim Craig wrote a book called Cool Japan: Case Studies from Japan's Cultural and Creative Industries.

[03:06.90] "Work is a big deal here. It's not just a way to make money, although it is that, too," said Craig.

[03:16.74] Some officials think it is time to change that way of thinking to save the workforce.

[03:25.49] Japan's birth rate continues to fall, and the work culture is said to be one reason for that.